Can this cheesecake be saved?
 

I made a brownie-bottomed peanut butter cheesecake today and I had all
sorts of high hopes for it. It set beautifully in the oven, firmed up
nicely in the fridge, looked gorgeous when I released it from the
springform pan. However, when I went to cut it it was a mess! The
brownie bottom didn't set at all except for the exterior and the
cheesecake was goopy. I was crushed. It tasted like a big gloppy
uncooked mess.

I used an amalgam of 2 recipes - one for the brownie bottom, taken from
a different cheesecake recipe (that was very successful, but involved a
much thinner cheesecake portion than what I baked today) and one for the
cheesecake portion (that didn't have a crust to it at all). I put the
temp at something between what the brownie recipe called for and what
the cheesecake recipe directed. I baked it in a water bath for longer
than either recipe called for, thinking that would do the trick. A
reviewer of the cheesecake recipe stated that they also made a brownie
crust, but didn't mention changing anything else about the cheesecake
recipe so I just assumed that s/he followed it as directed.

I'm going to attempt to rebake it tomorrow. Bad idea? Should I just
toss it? This is my first *real* cheesecake (the other one was more
like a cheesecake-y square) so be gentle. :)

N.

"spamalicious" > wrote in message
news:5_yQd.55425$8a6.16961@trndny09...
> I made a brownie-bottomed peanut butter cheesecake today and I had all
> sorts of high hopes for it. It set beautifully in the oven, firmed up
> nicely in the fridge, looked gorgeous when I released it from the
> springform pan. However, when I went to cut it it was a mess! The
> brownie bottom didn't set at all except for the exterior and the
> cheesecake was goopy. I was crushed. It tasted like a big gloppy
> uncooked mess.
>
> I used an amalgam of 2 recipes - one for the brownie bottom, taken from
> a different cheesecake recipe (that was very successful, but involved a
> much thinner cheesecake portion than what I baked today) and one for the
> cheesecake portion (that didn't have a crust to it at all). I put the
> temp at something between what the brownie recipe called for and what
> the cheesecake recipe directed. I baked it in a water bath for longer
> than either recipe called for, thinking that would do the trick. A
> reviewer of the cheesecake recipe stated that they also made a brownie
> crust, but didn't mention changing anything else about the cheesecake
> recipe so I just assumed that s/he followed it as directed.
>
> I'm going to attempt to rebake it tomorrow. Bad idea? Should I just
> toss it? This is my first *real* cheesecake (the other one was more
> like a cheesecake-y square) so be gentle. :)
>

Toss it, eat it as-is, but don't bother trying to fix it.

spamalicious wrote:
> I made a brownie-bottomed peanut butter cheesecake today and I had
all
> sorts of high hopes for it. It set beautifully in the oven, firmed
up
> nicely in the fridge, looked gorgeous when I released it from the
> springform pan. However, when I went to cut it it was a mess! The
> brownie bottom didn't set at all except for the exterior and the
> cheesecake was goopy. I was crushed. It tasted like a big gloppy
> uncooked mess.
>
> I used an amalgam of 2 recipes - one for the brownie bottom, taken
from
> a different cheesecake recipe (that was very successful, but involved
a
> much thinner cheesecake portion than what I baked today) and one for
the
> cheesecake portion (that didn't have a crust to it at all). I put
the
> temp at something between what the brownie recipe called for and what

> the cheesecake recipe directed. I baked it in a water bath for
longer
> than either recipe called for, thinking that would do the trick. A
> reviewer of the cheesecake recipe stated that they also made a
brownie
> crust, but didn't mention changing anything else about the cheesecake

> recipe so I just assumed that s/he followed it as directed.
>
> I'm going to attempt to rebake it tomorrow. Bad idea? Should I just

> toss it? This is my first *real* cheesecake (the other one was more
> like a cheesecake-y square) so be gentle. :)
>
> N.


I wouldn't try to re-bake it. Next time why don't you bake the brownie
crust first by itself and then add the cheesecake filling on top and
finish baking it following the baking directions for the cheesecake.
Since you're baking the cheesecake in a water bath and probably at a
low temperature you probably don't have to worry about the brownie
crust becoming too overdone.

spamalicious wrote:
> I made a brownie-bottomed peanut butter cheesecake today and I had
all
> sorts of high hopes for it. It set beautifully in the oven, firmed
up
> nicely in the fridge, looked gorgeous when I released it from the
> springform pan. However, when I went to cut it it was a mess! The
> brownie bottom didn't set at all except for the exterior and the
> cheesecake was goopy. I was crushed. It tasted like a big gloppy
> uncooked mess.
>
> I used an amalgam of 2 recipes - one for the brownie bottom, taken
from
> a different cheesecake recipe (that was very successful, but involved
a
> much thinner cheesecake portion than what I baked today) and one for
the
> cheesecake portion (that didn't have a crust to it at all). I put
the
> temp at something between what the brownie recipe called for and what

> the cheesecake recipe directed. I baked it in a water bath for
longer
> than either recipe called for, thinking that would do the trick. A
> reviewer of the cheesecake recipe stated that they also made a
brownie
> crust, but didn't mention changing anything else about the cheesecake

> recipe so I just assumed that s/he followed it as directed.
>
> I'm going to attempt to rebake it tomorrow. Bad idea? Should I just

> toss it? This is my first *real* cheesecake (the other one was more
> like a cheesecake-y square) so be gentle. :)
>
> N.


I wouldn't try to re-bake it. Next time why don't you bake the brownie
crust first by itself and then add the cheesecake filling on top and
finish baking it following the baking directions for the cheesecake.
Since you're baking the cheesecake in a water bath and probably at a
low temperature you probably don't have to worry about the brownie
crust becoming too overdone.